A New Era
by EdenAdvance
Summary: Desperately needing supplies, Aeryn, John and Chiana travel to a planet ruled by Peacekeepers. Once they've arrived, nothing is as it seems. Last chapters up, the story is complete!
1. Chapter One

A New Era 

TITLE: A New Era by EdenAdvance  
DISCLAIMER: Farscape doesn't belong to me, nor will it ever belong to me. All other characters do belong to me, except a couple a names, they were snurched from an atlas.   
SUMMARY: Desperately needing supplies, Aeryn, John and Chiana travel to a planet ruled by Peacekeepers. Once they've arrived, nothing is as it seems.   
SPOILERS: A little bit for NERVE and A BUG'S LIFE (nice order...) but nothing big.  
GENRE: Action/Adventures  
RATING: PG-13, nothing higher.   
FEETBACK: Yay! I adore feedback... cookies for those who send their comments, so I can write more. Cookies for all those who write fic in return. Flames will be used to make BBQ-Keedva   
NOTES: It was hard for me to fit a good title to the story, so it might seem a bit weird in the beginning. For the title, I thank StarWars, for some reason. I was planning on naming it 'Shadows of the Empire' after the SW book, but it just didn't fit with this. Then I read some backside cover of a SW book and it hit me. Here ends the little side note. 

A New Era   
Copyright 2000/2001 

"I just think it's worth the risk." John spoke as he pursued Aeryn through one of Moya's corridors. When she rounded another corner, John sighed. "Aeryn!" He called after her, "Would you just listen to me for once?" Not expecting a reply, he stalked around the corner, only to walk right into Aeryn. 

"Alright John, tell me why we should risk capture. Going down there is a danger to all of us and I think I'm speaking for all of us when I'm saying that I'd rather not get captured yet." She spoke, seemingly undisturbed by Crichtons close proximity. Inwardly, she was feeling something entirely different. If her feet would cooperate, she'd be in her quarters right now, away from Crichton. 

"I know it's risky going down to the commerce planet, but Zhaan said it herself: we need provisions. We can't possibly ration even more until we're out of this sector. Besides, it's not just the food; we need something to drink as well; and what about Moya's maintenance? We need spare parts to get us out of this sector." John said, unconsciously moving a step backwards when he saw her glare directed at him. "Come on, even D'Argo and Rygel think it's worth the risk."

Aeryn sighed. Sometimes it seemed as if Crichton had forgotten all about Crais and Scorpius. "This isn't just any commerce planet. The Peacekeepers run the entire planet, there are countless military bases located on Xi'an and not to mention wanted beacons. What makes you think that we can get the parts we need unnoticed?" Aeryn retorted. 

"Simple. We go in as Peacekeepers." Was John's reply as he turned around to make his way back to Command, where the others were waiting for them to return after Aeryn had stormed out of Command when John made his suggestion to visit Xi'an. Aeryn simply rolled her eyes and followed him. 

"This just has to go wrong..." she muttered under her breath. 

********

"We're approaching the planet's surface." Pilot announced from his den. 

Zhaan looked at Crichton. "Are you sure you're willing to go through with the plan, John? The last time you posed as a Peacekeeper, we were nearly discovered." She spoke. 

"And got us nearly killed." Rygel continued, but was silenced quickly by an angry glared and growl from D'Argo. 

"I know, I know. But I have faith in this plan, and this time it's just Aeryn, Chiana and me going down there. They might be searching for two Sebaceans, a Luxan, a Delvian and an Hynerian, but not for a Nebari. Besides, this is a backwater planet, right? How big is the chance that they've even heard of the escape? The name 'Crais' might mean nothing to those soldiers down there." John said, looking at the rest of the group. 

They had agreed to take Chiana with them, in order for their cover story to work. They were posing as two Peacekeeper officers and a server coming to the planet for provisions. 

"What if Chiana gets into trouble, John. Have you thought of that? We can't afford it to have Chiana expose us." Aeryn spoke from the corner of Command she had been waiting in. The plan wasn't what troubled her; the planet was the problem. Xi'an might've been one of the many planets ruled by the Peacekeepers, but it was one of the most important planets to the Peacekeeper High Command. With so many bases on the planet surface, and a military spaceport, Xi'an served as one of the four planets serving as the head of the Peacekeepers. With its position at the edge of the Uncharted Territories, it also served as the frontier between Peacekeeper regulated space and uncharted space. Whatever happened there, would happen to the entire Peacekeeper corps. 

"Who says I'll get into trouble? Like Crichton isn't capable of getting into trouble." Chiana piped in, angry to be accused of a troublemaker again. 

"Pip, you won't get into trouble, because then it would mean that you, me and Aeryn will probably get thrown in prison. We would rot there, until we die. Do you want that?" John shot back, staring at the young Nebari. 

"We've reached the coordinates." Pilot interrupted, silencing the entire argument. "Scanners indicate the Peacekeepers aren't aware of our presence... yet." He added, before disappearing.

John sighed, while looking over at each of his friends' faces. "We'll contact you in three arns, agreed?" He said, before grabbing his jacket and heading to the hallway. Zhaan nodded to Aeryn, who then followed John, dragging Chiana with her to the transport pod. 

John stood waiting for Aeryn at the entrance of the transport pod. He smiled at her when she glared at him as she passed him on her way in. When Chiana reached John, he grabbed her arm. 

"Chi, since Aeryn is in a pissed mood already, you'd do real good if you managed to stay out of trouble. The less attention we attract, the better. Deal?" He said, watching her face. 

Chiana smiled. "Who says anything about getting into trouble?" she purred. "I wasn't planning on spending the rest of my life in a dark cell on that planet. It rains too much, so I've heard." she finished and entered the transport pod. 

*******

"Unidentified vessel, you're approaching Peacekeeper checkpoint decca. Please identify yourself." The automated voice of the base computer commanded. 

"Ready?" John asked Aeryn, looking at her. 

"Are you ready, you mean." She shot back. 

"Peacekeeper checkpoint decca, this is Captain Larraq. Requesting permission to land on the planet surface." John replied. 

When it took the computer a few microts to reply, John got nervous. "Do you think they know Captain Larraq is supposed to be on a deep space mission?" He asked Aeryn. 

"Communications isn't always excellent within the corps. If they ask about your mission, say it's classified, or that we need refueling. They don't need to know that Larraq completed his mission." Aeryn replied, while she piloted the pod closer to the planet. 

"Come on, come on..." John muttered underneath his breath. "Just let us in.." 

"Captain Larraq, you're cleared to land at the designated coordinates." Came the reply. John let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. He looked over at Aeryn.

"They're transmitting a set of coordinates." She said without taking her eyes off the controls. "We should land within ten minutes." She added. 

"Good. The sooner we land, the faster we're back on Moya and away from the Peacekeepers again." John said as he watched the planet grow bigger and bigger, until could make out different buildings. 

As soon as Aeryn had landed the pod and was standing outside, she felt uneasy. It was as if she didn't belong here at all. John, noticing her uneasiness, moved to stand closer to her, when he saw a squad of Peacekeepers approach them. He noticed they were all armed; their pulse-rifles nearly aimed at him and the others. 

When they slowed to a stop, John held Larraqs ident chip up for them to see. One of the soldiers took a few steps forward, reached for the ident chip and handed it over to another soldier, who took it with him, presumably for identification. 

"I assure you, I am who I say I am." John spoke, his Peacekeeper accent evident. 

If they had heard them, they didn't respond to him. They merely stood there, staring ahead. John glanced sideways at Aeryn, who was staring back at the group of soldiers, keeping her pulse rifle close, in case of trouble. He looked behind him for Chiana, but she hadn't followed him outside. 

'Good,' he thought, 'they haven't seen her yet. So far, they have no reason to be suspicious of us.' 

He was pulled from his thoughts when the soldier returned with his ident chip. 

"All is in order, Captain. May I ask how long you will remain on the planet?" he asked as he presented the chip. 

John pocketed the chip. "Not for long. We're here for some much needed supplies and some time for ourselves." He replied. 

The Peacekeeper nodded. "I will bother you no longer." Then, he turned on his heel and marched back the way he came from, followed by the rest of his squad. 

"Chiana, you can come out now." John called, after he couldn't see the Peacekeepers any longer. 

"They're gone?" They could hear her voice from inside the pod. When Crichton turned around, she was stepping out of the pod. 

"I thought you had no problems with the Peacekeepers?" John asked her when she was standing with to them. 

"I'm not wanted by them, trust me. I just don't like them. They think the entire universe belongs to them." She replied. 

"Kinda like the Nebari, huh?" John said and stepped forward. "I suggest we find what we came for quickly, before they found out I'm nothing like our dear captain Larraq." 

Chiana took on last look at the giant city walls in front of her, before following Aeryn and John, silently wishing she'd never asked to come along on this trip. 

TBC

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	2. Chapter Two

A New Era, part 2

A New Era, part 2  
Copyright 2000/2001

One arn and thirty minutes later, John was looking around in a small shop, filled with spare parts. It was the third shop of its kind they had encountered, and so far, they hadn't found what they were looking for. He briefly glanced over at Aeryn, who was trying very hard to check for the needed parts, keeping an eye on Chiana and looking out for any danger. Chiana, on the other hand, sauntered through the shop, picking up an item here and there, and letting it fall back to its place. He grinned and returned to inspecting the next piece of equipment. Although it did seem familiar; if he remembered correctly, he had seen it in Aeryns Prowler once; it wasn't on their list. He made a note to himself to inform Aeryn after they were done searching this establishment. 

Aeryn briefly looked up to locate Chiana's whereabouts and, content to see that she hadn't broken anything yet, as if any of these parts could be broken further, resumed inspecting a few parts that might be useful for her Prowler. They only needed to find the spare parts and they could return to Moya. She sighed, she still had a bad feeling about this planet and for about three quarter of an arn, she'd had the feeling they were being watched. 

"Have you found anything yet?" A voice asked from behind her.

Aeryn turned around quickly, her hand moving to the pulse gun she wore on her hip. She relaxed her stance, when she noticed that it was only the shopkeeper standing behind her. 

The shopkeeper, noticing Aeryns reaction, immediately held up his hands in defense. "I'm sorry if I disturbed you, Officer." He said, apologizing. "I was merely wondering whether or not my shop held what you were looking for." He added, taking a step back. 

"No, I'm afraid we can't find what we're looking for here." John spoke up, approaching them. "Do you know of any other shops that sell used parts?" He asked, now coming to stand next to Aeryn. 

The shopkeeper nodded. "There's one on the other end of the city. It's hard to find, but that shop mostly has rare parts, if that is what you were looking for." He explained. "I will give you directions, if you have a few microts." He finished and disappeared in the back of the shop, only to return a few microts later with some sort of map. "I've circled the location of a few other shops as well, should you not be able to find the parts there." He said, handing the map over to John. 

"Thank you, I'm sure we'll be able to find the parts we need." John said, and turned around to find Chiana. "Chiana, we're leaving." He said, as he saw her form in the far corner of the shop. Hearing him call her, she looked up and followed the others outside. 

Outside, John halted Aeryn, before she could walk further. "One question. How did he know we were looking for rare parts?" He asked, glancing back at the shop, where the shopkeeper was watching through one of the small windows. 

"I was only looking at the used Prowler-parts. We never asked if he had anything rare." Aeryn replied, looking around in the quiet alley. "I suggest we go somewhere more crowded." She said, looking back at John. "I think we're being followed. For about three quarter of an arn, I've had the feeling that someone is watching us." 

"Uhuh, so do I. As soon as we finished buying the foodsupplies and returned to the transport pod the first time, someone started following us." He said. "Chiana, go back to the pod and contact Moya. If we're not there in a quarter arn, leave without us." He said, watching her nod and leave the alley. He turned back to Aeryn. "Let's find that shop as soon as we can, shall we?" He asked, glancing one more time at the building they'd just left. The shopkeeper was no longer watching them. 

********

As Chiana reached the city gate, something was very wrong. As she looked around, she saw more and more soldiers walking around, less civilians on the streets, and the gate was closed. 

Slowly, she walked towards the gate, until she was stopped by two Peacekeepers.

"What's a girl like you doing in a place like this?" One of them asked, looking her over.

"Well," she purred, "a girl like me is going back to her transport pod, to wait for my captain." She answered, shoving the soldier aside. "I would appreciate it if you could open the gate for me." 

"Captain, huh?" the other soldier said, grinning at her last action. "He's one lucky guy. We're not supposed to open the gate, but I think we can make an exception for a girl like you." He said, walking next to her towards the gate. "Better wait outside the city though, it's a dangerous place if you're unarmed." 

"Why is that?" Chiana asked, watching the soldier punching in a code to open the gate. 

"You haven't heard about the rebels yet? They've killed ten civilians in the last weeken." The soldier asked, as he waited for the gate to open. "They're ruthless... in fact we're looking for two of them right now. Rumored to have entered the city about two arns ago, less even." He explained, not noticing Chiana's eyes widen. 

"Two of them?" she asked further, fearing the worst. "What do they look like?"

"Well, they say it's a man and a woman. The woman is an ex-Peacekeeper, but I haven't heard anything about the man with her." The soldier continued, oblivious to Chiana's distress. "Well, you can go, hope your captain returns soon, so you can get off of this rock." He said, watching her hurry to her ship. 

"She sure was eager to get away from you, Pallas." His companion said, walking up to him. "She might've shoved me aside, at least she didn't run away from me." He continued, grinning. 

********

"Zhaan! Zhaan! Are you there?" Chiana spoke frantically through the comm. "D'Argo? Anyone!" 

"Chiana, what is it?" D'Argo answered. "Is everything in order?" 

"No, no, nothing is in order. They're sealing of the city. I think they're after John and Aeryn, and me, if they find out that I was with them." Chiana said, quickly explaining the situation. "They said to leave them here if they didn't reach the pod within a quarter arn." She continued. 

"Calm down, Chiana. We need to think of something. Try to contact them, if you can't reach them, wait for them and then, after fifteen minutes, return to Moya. We'll find a way, trust me." D'Argo replied. When there was no reply from Chiana, he spoke again, "Chiana? Is that okay?" 

"O-okay. I'll contact them and wait for them to come to the pod." Chiana spoke, disconnecting. 

"Okay, Chiana, contact them and everything will be fine. There is nothing to worry about." She said to herself, hitting her combadge. "Aeryn? John? Are you there?" 

*******

"John!" Aeryn called, walking over to him. "I've found one of the parts we need." She said, showing it to him. 

"Good, the quarter arn is almost passed. We need to get back to the pod, before Chiana leaves us stranded here." John replied, grabbing the part and turning to the shopkeeper, who took the part from him. John quickly handed him the money to pay for the part, before turning back to Aeryn. "Have you contacted Chiana yet?" He asked, pocketing the rest of the currency. 

"No, I couldn't reach her. Something is interfering with the com-system." Aeryn replied. 

"Great, just what we need." He said as he walked towards the exit. 

As soon as he was standing in the alley again, he knew something was wrong. Looking in two directions, he saw Peacekeepers approaching. Seeing no one else in the alley, he signaled to Aeryn, who was already readying her pulse rifle. 

"No, wait." John spoke, before she could shoot at the advancing Peacekeepers. "We don't know they're coming for us. Just act normal, I'll talk to them." He said, taking a step forward. 

When the soldiers were standing in front of Aeryn and John, one of them signaled to halt. 

"What is your business here?" John asked, standing firm, his hands on his hips. 

"We have orders for your arrest, captain." The soldier, who was obviously their ranking officer, replied. 

"That is absurd, let us through." John spoke, glancing sideways. He noticed Aeryns hand reaching for her gun. 

"I'm afraid I can't do that, captain. The orders come directly from Peacekeeper High Command. You are accused of conspiracy with rebel forces. You are to come with us to the city's dungeons, where you will be held until further notice." He finished, nodding to the others, who stepped forward. 

Aeryn quickly glanced at John, before aiming her pulse rifle at one of the advancing soldiers. John saw her action, but before he could stop her, she fired a shot at the unlucky Peacekeeper. As he saw a few soldiers raise their pulse rifles, he dove towards Aeryn, knocking her to the ground, but not before it was to late...

TBC 

I really like to know what the readers think about the story so far. I try to write the other parts as soon as I can, but I'll be working until Sunday, so that's plenty of time to fill the little box below with your thoughts. Thank you for your time reading, and I hope you're liking where the story is headed. (Of course you don't like the ending, but I couldn't help it.)


	3. Chapter Three

A New Era, Part 3

A/N: Sorry that it took so long, but RL took over. I hope to post part 4 soon, before I go on vacation. Thanks for waiting so long, and for reading. Don't forget to review, 'kay? Tell me if you like where this is headed.

A New Era, Part 3  
Copyright 2001

Kaelen Selara looked up when she heard footsteps approach and eventually halt in front of her dark cell. Standing up, she took a few steps towards the only source of light available to her: a small, barred window in the heavy cell door. Microts later, a Peacekeeper peered inside. Upon confirming that the prisoner was still where she was supposed to be, he opened the door, but made no move to step inside. Instead, he stood there, his pulse rifle aimed at her, prepared for any attack. 

"You'll have to share your..." He paused a moment, "quarters from now on. The cells are overflowing with the likes of you." The Peacekeeper smiled sadistically. "Soon, we might get the pleasure of executing some of you." He said, now laughing maniacally. Then, he stepped aside, allowing two other Peacekeepers to push a darkened form into the small room. 

Selara waited until she had heard the familiar sound of the lock falling into place, before moving into action. She crawled over to the still and silent form lying in the center of the small cell and tentatively reached out her hand towards it. Almost instantly, the stranger reacted and in the dim light, she saw the face of a handsome, young man. In that short moment of time, she also saw confusion and pain in his blue eyes. 

"You're in a prison cell. If you'd like, you can have one of the three remaining corners," she pointed to the corners in question," but I'd choose the one farthest from the door. You'll have to salvage a blanket from the piece of cloth lying on the ground, if you get cold." She finished, taking a small step closer to the stranger, kneeling next to him.

His eyes settled on her face. "Who are you?" he asked. In the dim light, he could hardly see her face or any of her other features, so he focused on her bright green eyes that seemed to light up every now and then. 

"I'm Kaelen Selara, former Peacekeeper officer. Three weekens ago, the Peacekeepers accused me of treason and conspiring against Peacekeeper High Command. The next thing I knew, I was in this cell. What about you?" she asked, settling on the floor. "What did you do to get in here?"

Not knowing whether he should keep his cover intact or not, John decided to play it safe. "I'm Larraq, Peacekeeper Commando. I came to the planet for supplies and they accused me of similar things." He said, also settling on the floor. "I was with someone else, do you know where they took her?" 

Selara shook her head. "I haven't heard anything about any new prisoners, except that the Peacekeepers are randomly arresting fellow Peacekeepers for at least a monen now." She said, "If your friend is still alive, she'll be held in the same cell block as you. They'll need to confirm their suspicions before they can act accordingly."   


John nodded and looked around. Slowly, his eyes were adjusting to the darkness in the cell, and he could make out a few items on the floor. In one corner, he could make out a sleeping mat. "I take it that corner is already taken?" He asked, looking at Selara. 

"That's my side. There are some blankets by the door. If you want a sleeping mat, I still have some trusted friends among the Peacekeepers; they can give you whatever you want." She said, standing up again and moving to her sleeping mat. 

John looked down for a moment, seemingly in thought. Then, he looked up and, standing up, he slowly walked over to sit in the corner opposite of Selara. There, he shook off his jacket. Selara looked over to him and, upon seeing the state he was in, sucked in her breath. 

"You're injured." She said, quickly moving over to him. "Didn't they treat your wounds?" She asked, reaching out her hand to examine Johns wound. 

"It's just a burn and it doesn't really hurt anymore. I'll be okay." He replied, moving away from her searching hands. "They missed me when they shot at us." He said, explaining.

Selara nodded and moved back to her side of the room.

No one spoke for a moment and from far away; they could hear the echoing sounds of marching Peacekeepers and the screaming of other prisoners. 

********

D'Argo stormed towards the docking bay, entering just in time to see Chiana rushing out of the transport pod. She ran towards him, holding him close.

"Where are they?" He asked when she was clinging to him.

"They didn't come back... I couldn't reach them..." She said. When D'Argo lifted her chin to look at her, he saw that her eyes were wide with fear. "When I wanted to get back into the city, there were Peacekeepers heading towards the transport pod. I didn't know what to do." She continued. "D'Argo, I left them there..." 

He could see the look of despair in her eyes. "You did the right thing, Chiana. We can go back for them later, when everything is calm again, back on the planet." He spoke, holding her close again. "Right now we have another problem on our hands." 

Chiana looked up. "What other problem?" She asked, looking up at him. 

"We need to get to Command." He started as he pulled her with him towards Moya's hallways. "Pilot detected a Peacekeeper Command carrier headed towards the planet. As soon as you landed the pod, he started moving us to a safer location. There's an uninhabited planet nearby, it will hide us from the Peacekeepers." D'Argo explained while they rushed towards Command. 

Reaching their destination, they entered Command and joined the others at the console in front of the view screen. They could see the approaching Command carrier coming closer and becoming clearer. 

"It's is still headed towards the planet." Pilot notified them, monitoring the various sensor readings. "The planet is preventing them from detecting us." He said as they watched the Command carrier reaching the spaceport. "We're blocked from their view."

Zhaan turned to Chiana, for the moment no longer interested in the Command carrier and its actions. "Did you get the supplies?" She asked, looking at the young Nebari. 

Chiana nodded. "Before I lost contact with John and Aeryn, we manage to find the food supplies and most of the spare parts we needed. I left them in the pod." She replied, glancing sideways at the view screen every now and then. "How are we going to get Aeryn and John back?" she asked. 

"Who says we need them back? We got what we needed, we should leave this system." Rygel piped up from his throne sled. 

"I disagree." D'Argo said, standing behind Chiana. "They are valued friends and they risked their lives to get food supplies we all needed badly. How would you feel if we abandoned you at the first possible moment?" He spoke, his voice rising in volume. 

It was Zhaan who came in between them. "We can't do anything until the Command carrier is gone. Until then, we should think about a plan to rescue them from the planet." 

*********

Selara and John looked up, when the silence was broken as they heard the door to their being opened. A microt later, a Peacekeeper stepped in, his pulse rifle aimed at both of the cells occupants. Confirming that both of them weren't a threat to him at this moment, he took one step back and motioned to one of the three Peacekeepers, who were waiting near the door. The Peacekeeper in question, took one step forward and set down a plate filled with food in the corner near the door. Then, he stepped out of the cell again, only to return microts later with another Peacekeeper, dragging an unconscious form with them. Once they were standing in the middle of the small cell, they dropped their quarry and exited the cell once more. 

"Dinner time." The remaining Peacekeeper spoke before, he too, left the cell.

As Selara immediately moved towards the plate left by the Peacekeepers, John moved towards the silent form. 

"Aeryn," he whispered softly, wiping a loose strand of hair from her face. When she stirred, he searched her for any injuries, remembering his last vision of her, lying bleeding and nearly unconscious on the streets of Xi'an. His searching hands slowed down, when he felt a soggy patch of clothing. Examining the wound, he found that it was already bandaged, but still bleeding. He looked up when Selara kneeled down next to him.

"What is her condition?" she asked, looking Aeryn over. 

"She's worse of than I am. Her wound is still bleeding, but the Peacekeepers bandaged it." John spoke, looking at her. 

"She can have my sleeping mat, for the moment. I'll try to contact the others from my team, they will help us." Selara said, before handing John a plate. "You must eat now, to gather your strength. It won't be long before they'll return to interrogate you." 

John nodded slowly, before he gathered Aeryn in his arms and carried her over to Selara's sleeping mat. Laying her down gently, he sat down beside her, taking the plate Selara handed him. He picked up the spoon-like object and glanced at his 'dinner'. To him, it looked vaguely like brown bean soup, which would probably taste better than the brownish mush on his plate. He played with the alien food for a moment, pushing it around on his plate with his spoon, before he dared a taste. 

It tasted better than he had expected. It was a familiar taste, resembling the taste of the brown food cubes. He ate the food slowly, emptying his plate fifteen minutes later. Then, he stood up and walked towards a forgotten plate in the corner by the door. Picking it up, he moved back to where Aeryn lay and crouched down. 

"Aeryn, I brought you something to eat." He spoke softly, pulling her into a sitting position. She leaned against his chest and he moved her with him, leaning against the wall. She too, played with her food for a few microts, until John stilled her hand. 

"It tastes better than it looks, trust me." He spoke, letting go of her hand again. 

"I'm not hungry." She replied, dropping the spoon back on her plate. 

John sighed. "I know, but you need to gain your strength, in case they come for us." He explained, grabbing a spoonful of the brown mush and holding it in front of her mouth. "Don't make me feed you..." he spoke, almost able to see the small smile she returned him, before taking the spoon from his hands. 

John was woken up from an exhausted sleep, when he heard an high pitched wail. Instantly, he nudged Aeryns shoulder, waking her. Seeing her eyes open, his attention momentarily shifted towards the other side of the cell. Selara was already awake and on her feet, listening intently for any sounds outside. He heard the sound of footsteps coming closer and from far away, he could faintly hear orders being shouted to the Peacekeeper grunts. 

"What's happening?" asked a familiar voice. Looking down at the woman lying in his arms, he shook his head. 

"I don't know what's going on." He replied, before looking back at Selara, who hadn't moved a dench. "Selara, what's going on?" He whispered. His only reply was the waving of her hand, telling him to be still. He strained to hear any sound that would tell him anything about the situation outside. Again, he hear running soldiers passing by and their voices, accompanied by the sounds of weapons fire. 

"Selara!" He hissed at the Peacekeeper, when they heard a loud explosion in the corridor next to their cell. A micron later, they could hear the cries of pain from injured Peacekeepers and the loud voices of their attackers, running through the corridors. 

Three pair of eyes were locked on the door, as on the outside, the footsteps came to an halt. John moved closer to Aeryn, unconsciously gripping her hand tighter, when the locking mechanism came to life. Slowly, the heavy cell door was pushed open and the barrel of a pulse rifle appeared, followed by a Peacekeeper. The soldier advanced, glancing at all three of them, until he motioned with his hand to stand up and follow him. 

Once outside the cell, they were met by another group of Peacekeepers, carrying two wounded soldiers and bringing five more prisoners with them. The Peacekeeper who had entered their cell, moved towards the other group. 

"We've cleared all the cellblocks on this level, prepare to evacuate." The leader from the other group ordered, glancing sideways at Aeryn and John. "Who are they? They weren't on the prisoner manifest." The Peacekeeper spoke, advancing on them. 

"I don't know who they are, but they're Sebaceans, we can't just leave them here." the other Peacekeeper replied, following the second Peacekeeper. 

"They're Peacekeepers," Selara spoke up, "this is Larraq, they arrested him for treason as well." 

The Peacekeeper nodded in return. "Take them with us." As John passed the Peacekeeper, he could feel his stare in his back.

As the now larger group rounded the corner, they were met by heavy gunfire. 

"Surrender yourselves!" One of the Peacekeepers shooting at them, called when it was silent for a moment. 

John looked at Selara, who was now holding a weapon of her own. "What's is going on here?" He asked her. 

"The rebels just freed you and your companion from a Peacekeeper prison cell, Larraq." She replied, before she looked around the corner, shooting at the Peacekeepers blocking the hallway. Satisfied with the results, she turned back to John. "Listen, I don't know which side you're on, but the Peacekeepers see you as one of us now. You might as well help us out of here." she said, handing him a sidearm. 

*********

"Pilot, are you picking up anything from the planet?" D'Argo asked the symbiont. 

"No, but I am picking up something else." He answered. "There is another Command carrier coming our way." 

TBC 


	4. Chapter Four

A New Era

NOTES: Sorry it took me so long to write the 4th part and to completely finish it. Part 5 is well on the way, I only have to type it out. (Ack, too many words to type out!) I just want to thank everyone for giving me feedback, 'cause it kept me writing this. 

A New Era, Part 4  
Copyright 2000/2001

John looked up towards the starry sky that was slowly becoming lighter, as the group of rebels finally exited the dungeons, after fighting their way up to the surface. He looked at Aeryn, who was still slightly leaning on him for support, the wound in her side bothering her more than she let on. 

"What is her condition?" Selara asked, suddenly standing in front of them, accompanied by one of the rebels John recognized as being the leader of the group. 

"We'll need to change her bandage, the wound was still bleeding when we were in that cell." John replied, watching the other rebel, who was removing the helmet. He was surprised to see a young woman emerge from underneath the helmet. 

"This is Lieutenant Saran, she will bring you to a safer location. I must rejoin my cell, they're waiting for me to the north of the city." Selara explained and picked up her gear from the ground. She saluted to the three of them, before heading off with a small group of other freed prisoners, along with some of the rebels that helped them escape in the first place. 

"Come with me, it's still a long way to the other side of the city." Saran spoke, signaling to two other rebels to come and help with Aeryn. One of them seemed to be a medic. 

John looked at Saran, who motioned to him to follow her. He did so, until they stopped in a darkened alleyway. Once there, she forcefully pushed him into the wall and before he could react, she pressed a knife to his throat. 

"Who are you?" She hissed. "I know you're not the real Larraq, because I know him." She pressed the knife deeper into his skin, drawing some blood. 

John raised his hands, letting her know he was no threat to her. "Alright, I'm not him. I'm a human named John Crichton." He explained. She blinked; the name 'human' not familiar to her. John sighed and continued. "I know I look like a Sebacean, but I'm telling the truth. I was sucked into this part of the universe when some kind of wave hit my ship. The only reason I'm on this planet is because we needed supplies." He said, glancing at the knife.

Saran withdrew the knife and nodded. "I believe you, for now, but I want you to stay near me at all times, so stay where I can see you." She said, sheathing the knife and returning back to the waiting group. 

John jogged up to her. "Wait, you believe me that easily? I mean, not that I am complaining..." Saran interrupted him. "I saw your face on a wanted beacon. It was a surprise that you weren't captured immediately. However, no one pays attention to the beacons anymore. They think they're always the superior species, no one would be so foolish as to hide under their noses." Saran spoke, resuming her way towards the other rebels. 

John simply watched her as she reached the group, before making his way to Aeryn, whom a Peacekeeper med-tech was tending to. The tech, upon seeing John walking over to him, stood up and saluted. 

"We're finished here captain, she'll be able to travel to our base." The tech reported and waited until John had dismissed him, before joining the larger group. 

John looked at Aeryn, who had moved over to a large crate to sit on.

"Are you alright?" he asked when she sat down, wincing and clutching her side.

She nodded. "They gave me an anaesthetic so the wound won't slow me down." She spoke, glancing up at John. "What did Saran wanted to talk to you about?"

John sighed and moved to sit down next to Aeryn. "Saran knows I'm not Larraq." He said when he was sitting down. "I had to tell her about me, but it won't be long before she'll find out you were a Peacekeeper once." 

"It was only a matter of time before we would meet someone who knew the real Larraq. What is she going to do with us now?" Aeryn asked. 

"I told her about Moya. She has allowed us to come with them, to find a way back to Moya." John replied. "They'll be leaving soon; we should go and join the group." He looked at Aeryn, who nodded and stood up. Together, they walked to the remaining group of rebels, who were now armed and waiting in the abandoned alley Saran had led John to earlier.

*********

The remaining crew of Moya looked at the small dot on the screen that was the approaching Peacekeeper command carrier.

"The carrier has come to a complete stop." Pilot announced from his den. 

"Pilot, have the Peacekeepers detected us yet?" Zhaan asked quietly, her gaze fixed on the forward screen. 

"I'm... not sure. The carrier remains on the edge of our sensor range." He replied. "Also the moon is interfering with both our sensors."

Anything from John or Aeryn yet?" D'Argo spoke gruffly.

"No, nothing so far. I've been monitoring communications from the planet; it seems that there were a few prison outbreaks about an arn ago; they were scattered over the entire planet. The Peacekeepers seems to be mobilizing their forces, which might explain the approaching command carrier." Pilot said.

"Thank you, Pilot." Zhaan replied with her serene voice, "Notify us if you have any news." 

*********

After escaping the city unnoticed, the small group of rebels entered the thick forest. Looking at the sky, Crichton noticed the dark clouds gathering there. Saran, who had been watching Crichton ever since they had reached the city gates, walked up to him. 

"The rain cycle started one solar day ago. It'll start to rain soon again, but the forests are thick. We'll only notice the rain a little." She spoke, pointing at the high trees and the natural roof of leaves. 

"How long does a rain cycle last?" John asked. 

"12 monens. One full cycle last for 19 monens on Xi'an. For three of them, we're covered in total darkness." She replied. "The temperature doesn't get high on the planet, so we won't have to fear Heat Delirium." 

"So you live here? You never leave the planet?" John spoke again, interested in getting to know this young Sebacean, after they had overcome the initial uneasiness between them. 

"Yes. I've lived here for 3 cycles now. Living planet-side is much better than on a carrier, at least, that is my opinion. There is so much to see here, so much to learn. The Peacekeepers disapprove of that; why should you waste time learning something that isn't useful in combat?" Saran replied. "My brother is captain of a command carrier. He feels the same way about Peacekeeper High Command as we do. His entire crew supports the rebels, and there are more carriers like his." She explained. She looked over her shoulder, watching Aeryn. "Your friend, she was a Peacekeeper, wasn't she?" Saran asked, looking back at Crichton. "I know a Peacekeeper when I see one." 

He nodded in return. "When I came here, in this part of the galaxy, I landed in the middle of a battle. I was brought onboard a Leviathan, where the prisoners were trying to escape. Aeryn and I got thrown in the same cell together, and to make a long story short, her captain declared her irreversibly contaminated." he explained. "We escaped and we took her with us."

"Ah, yes. Captain Crais and his quest to find the lost prisoners." Saran spoke up. "He's quiet famous here. Neither Peacekeeper High Command nor the Rebels condone his actions. In fact, the search was called of almost as soon as it started. I believe Terran Ra was the prison camp your friends were assigned to. The reason the escaped prisoners didn't receive highest priority is the fact that Terran Ra is full; there are too many prisoners there. It has be come a liability to the Peacekeepers; they can't spare enough manpower to guard the planet." Saran clarified. "So, the disappearance of Crais' Carrier into the Uncharteds was a good reason for High Command to cancel the search." 

"But... what about the wanted beacons in the cities then?" John asked, remembering the countless times they had came across one of the beacons.

Saran chuckled. "The Peacekeepers never bothered to removed the wanted beacons. The wanted beacons weren't the reason you and Aeryn were arrested. You were disguised as Peacekeepers after all. They were searching for a Human scientist and one rogue Peacekeeper, not two Peacekeepers." Saran replied. 

John looked up as he felt the first drops of rain. 

"Rain...the first time I felt it, I thought it was mysterious. I like the feel of the water on my skin, it cools you down after a long day. After three monens of endless rain, I got tired of it." Saran commented. 

********

After three arns of walking in the rain, John was soaked. His mood had become as dark as the sky above. Aeryn had been walking beside him for an arn now and, needless to say, her mood resembled his. 

"It's not far now, just a few microts." Saran spoke up, noticing their condition. 

Saran led them into a small cave entrance in the rocks, carefully concealed by using natural camouflage. 

"This is where most of us live, after it has become to dangerous to remain in the cities. Peacekeeper command is haunting us down like animals, they'll even torture innocents for more information about our whereabouts." She explained, when they stood in a large cave inside the mountain.

John, glad to be out of the endless rain, followed the young rebel through a series of tunnels, leading deeper into the mountain. He shivered when he suddenly felt cold air rush onto him. Saran noticed his reaction. 

"It'll get much colder after the sun has begun to sink below the horizon." She said. "If we can find dry firewood, we try to light the fires early, but it is rare that we can light them. With the search going on, we can afford to produce smoke inside the caves or to give the Peacekeepers any sign as to our hiding places." 

They stopped in front of a stone wall, a dead end, as it seemed. Saran, knowing exactly what to do, entered her ident-chip into a small slot in the wall, where it was scanned almost immediately. The door quickly slid open to reveal an almost crowded corridor. The other rebels who had accompanied them on their hike trough the woods, disappeared quickly in the crowd, while Saran led John and Aeryn to two other soldiers, who had obviously been waiting for them as they immediately responded once they spotted Saran. 

"Sergeant," Saran spoke, nodding to him, "escort our guest to their rooms and show them where they can get something to drink or to eat afterwards." 

The sergeant saluted quickly and looked at Aeryn and John. "Follow me." He said curtly and started to move down one of the corridors. They followed him, until they reached a quieter part. 

"Your room." He said to John, pointing towards a small corridor leading to a round, open space. "Wait here, I'll be back." Then, he resumed his walk, leaving John behind.

As they rounded a corner, the sergeant suddenly stopped. "This is where you'll be staying." He said to Aeryn. "You know," he started, taking a few steps closer to her, much to Aeryns dislike, "the nights here are very cold. Sometimes it can even freeze. Maybe you and I could work out a deal? I'll trade a few blankets," He stood even closer to her, "and you'll stay with me tonight?" 

Aeryn took a few steps back, trying to get away from him. "No, I'm not interested." She answered, not liking the tone his voice had taken on. She stepped even further back, until her back hit the wall. 

"Yo, Aeryn!" John yelled, coming from around the corner. Aeryn sighed, silently thanking Crichton for interrupting.

The sergeant, upon hearing John's voice, had immediately stepped backwards. "I'll bring you to the mess hall now." He muttered, leading them deeper into the maze of tunnels. 

"I don't like this place." Aeryn whispered to John as they trailed behind the soldier. 

"Me neither, Aeryn, but it's only for a night or two." He replied. Deep inside, he shared her feelings about this place. 

Soon, they heard, rather than saw, Saran, who had been waiting for them to return. The sergeant gruffly saluted and stalked to the other corner of the large chamber, where it was even more crowded than possible. 

Saran looked at the two of them. "Come on, I'll get you something to drink. Wait over here." She said, leading hem to an abandoned table. She left them, only to return a moment later, carrying a few bottles and glasses in her arms. 

"Sorry, I could only get some razlak." She said, placing the bottles and glasses in front of them and sitting down, facing John and Aeryn. 

"Were you able to talk to your superiors?" John asked. 

Saran nodded. "It seems that they were already planning on attacking a nearby Prowler base. I have arranged for us to join the attack squad, so you'll two will be back onboard your ship by tomorrow night. If everything goes as planned." She replied. She turned around when she felt a pair of eyes on her back. 

Aeryn recognized the man standing behind Saran as one of the men who had been waiting for them when they had entered the cave. 

"Would you mind it if I joined the three of you?" he asked, before sitting down next to Saran. 

John was the first to reply. "It's okay, feel free to join us." 

"Lt. Marras," Saran said, introducing him, "this is John Crichton and Aeryn Sun." He looked at Aeryn, who was quietly drinking her razlak. When she looked up, he nodded to her and looked at Crichton.

"Are you a Peacekeeper?" Marras asked Crichton, who shook his head in return.

"I'm not even an Sebacean. I'm a Human from Earth." He replied, reaching for his glass of razlak. Saran had obviously told Marras about them.

"I've never heard of a planet called 'Erp' before, nor have I heard of a race called Humans." Marras spoke. "And your friend, is she a Human too?" He asked, looking at Aeryn. 

"No, she's Sebacean." John replied, leaving out the fact that she was an ex-Peacekeeper. 

"I was a Peacekeeper." Aeryn said, watching John, surprising him. Normally, she didn't want other Peacekeepers to know she had once been like them. 

It was clear that Marras was curious and had many more questions, but his attention was diverted when sounds of a fight reached their table. Two soldiers were in the middle of a fight, while a small group of soldiers were standing around them, cheering them on and betting on the outcome. The rest of the room seemed almost uninterested in the ongoing fight. 

"Aren't you going to break them up?" Crichton asked Saran as they watched the two soldiers pounding on eachother. 

"No. Not when Merc is involved. He always starts a fight. It's useless and a waste of strength to stop him." She answered, pointing at one of the soldiers. Crichton recognized him as the sergeant who had shown him and Aeryn their rooms. 

"He's not a real danger. The only reason why we haven't send him away yet, is because he's a good soldier and he believes in our cause." Marras added. "The men always know how to solve a problem, so it'll be over in a few microts."

They looked up again when they heard a loud cheering and were just in time to see Merc knocked to the stone floor of the cave; unconscious. 

"Like I said, they know how to solve a problem." Saran added. 

TBC

I hope I can get the next part up here soon, but school is starting next week and already I'm pretty busy. Don't worry, it will be there. If you have any ideas, feel free to leave them below.


	5. Chapter Five

A New Era 

A/N: Thanks for all the people who gave me some feedback for the previous chapters. Just a few more chapters to go, I promise!

A New Era, Part 5  
Copyright 2000/2001

It was dark and cold in Aeryns room. 

Trying to fall asleep, she shivered underneath a thick blanket. Saran had been right when she said that it would get cold once the sun had switched places with the moon. Giving up on the attempt to get warm and to at least find some sleep, she got out of the small cot and left the room, her blanket wrapped tightly around her. She made her way to where John was sleeping, only to be stopped a few metra from her destination. She looked at the obstacle and sighed when she identified the soldier... Merc. 

"Where are you going, woman?" He asked as he roughly pushed her into the nearest wall. She winced as she felt as one of the stitches the med-tech had placed earlier that evening broke.

"You know, I told you it would get cold at night, but you wouldn't listen." He said moving closer to her. 

Aeryn felt one of his hands slowly making his way up on her leg. She desperately wanted to pantac-jab him, but she knew that the rebels most likely would execute her for that sort of action, or they'd simply hand them over to the Peacekeepers. They might have Sarans protection and trust, but not even she could control all of the rebels, and it was clear to Aeryn that, if she were to assault one of them, they'd treat her like they would a Peacekeeper. 

"Sergeant! What are you doing here at this hour?" A loud voice suddenly sounded from behind them. Merc moved away when he heard the questioning, but commanding voice. Aeryn recognized the soldier as Marras, the lieutenant she and John had met earlier. Behind him, she could make out Saran, wrapped in a few blankets. 

"N-nothing sir, I was asking the Sebacean a question." She heard Merc reply, stuttering a little. 

"If I heard correctly, she wasn't interested in what you had to ask or to offer." This time, it was Saran who spoke. The tone of her voice indicated that she knew what they had interrupted. "Lieutenant, it would be wise for you to return to your quarters." 

When Merc made no move to do as ordered, Marras turned to two soldiers waiting behind him. "Officers, escort the Lieutenant to his quarters." He ordered.

The two officers nodded and grabbing Merc's arms, they escorted him away. 

"Thank you." Aeryn spoke from where she was standing. She looked at Merc's retreating back, before turning back to Saran and Marras. 

The large Peacekeeper smiled and shook his head. "Thank Saran, she woke me when she saw you passing our quarters. She told me to watch over you, knowing Merc's reaction to women." He said, gesturing behind him to the waiting Sebacean behind him. Aeryn nodded to her. Then, Marras turned and walked back to his quarters, followed closely by Saran, from time to time looking back at Aeryn. 

Aeryn waited a few microts until the two were out of sight, before continuing towards her destination. 

While the tunnel where Merc had stopped her was dark, the tunnel she was walking through now was lit by a number of torches, which were giving of only little warmth. 

Reaching her destination, she glanced in the pitch-black chamber where, after a few microts of adjusting to the darkness, her eyes could make out the sleeping form of John Crichton. 

Quietly, careful not to wake the sleeping human, Aeryn entered the room, her nearly silent footsteps softly echoing between the stone walls. Approaching the small cot, John suddenly moved, raising the end of his blanket with one arm, silently inviting her to come closer. 

Stepping up to him, she let go of the blanket wrapped around her and lay down on her side, her back to his naked chest; letting his body heat slowly warm her body. Without saying a word, John drew both their blankets around them and holding Aeryn close to him, he listened to her breathing, before falling into a deep sleep. 

********

The next morning, before the sun had risen above the trees and the rain was still beating down on the green and various shades of blue leaves below, John woke to the commotion in the corridor outside his room. Looking down at Aeryn, who was still sleeping at his side, he smiled. He thought he had been dreaming last night, but seeing the living proof lying beside him, using his shoulder as pillow, he couldn't doing anything but smile. It felt like a dream come true. 

Someone coughing discretely brought him out of his reverie. It was Saran, standing in the open doorway to his room, fully dressed for the combat later in the day. 

"I came to tell you we'll be leaving for the Peacekeeper base in half an arn." She said when she had John's attention. "I've brought the two of you some food in case you were feeling hungry." She gestured to the plate filled with food placed in the corner where Saran was standing. 

Crichton nodded. "Thanks. We'll be ready in a quarter arn and will meet you in the mess hall." 

After Saran had left, John went to wake Aeryn, but to his surprise, he found her already awake. 

"Hey, good morning." He said, not knowing what else to say at this point. For a moment, Aeryn looked ready to flee, before the expression on her face changed to one John was unfamiliar with.

"Look, Aeryn, about last night..." he stammered, "I promise I won't tell any of the others on Moya about it." He said, backing up a few steps. 'Guess we won't take our crazy form of relationship to the next level.' He thought to himself. John had wished for something to happen that would bring the two of them closer, had wished for it for such a long time, but everytime that something would happen, one of them got scared and backed out.

"... Later." 

John looked up at Aeryn, who was now standing a few steps away from him, one of the shared blankets wrapped around her. 

"What?" He asked, bringing his concentration back to the situation at hand. "What did you say?" He repeated. 

"I said: 'We'll talk about this later'." Aeryn repeated, walking over to the plate left by Saran and studying the food upon it. "When we're back on Moya and away from this planet, we'll talk about it. Not now..." She spoke, her back to him. "Right now, we need to concentrate on the mission at hand." She chewed slowly on a piece of salty bread and drank some of the cold water. Then, she turned to face John. "I'm going back to get the rest of my clothes." She said, gesturing to the blanket wrapped around her. She headed towards the now empty corridor, only to be stopped by John before she could leave the room. She looked at him questioningly.

"Hold on, I'll throw on some clothes and I'll walk you back to your room." He said and grabbed the black T-shirt he had thrown on the stone table the night before. Then, after he had pulled his boots on, he led Aeryn back to her room.

*********

While the rebels were busily preparing for the assault on the Peacekeeper base, the crew of Moya, minus two, were slowly being surrounded by Command carriers. 

"Two more are arriving at the spaceport!" exclaimed Pilot from his den. 

During the night, the number of Peacekeeper Command carriers had risen to three on one side and four, with the new arrivals included, at the spaceport. 

"Pilot, have the Peacekeepers scanned us yet?" asked D'Argo, who had begun pacing impatiently half an arn ago. 

"Yes, they have also launched a Marauder," said Pilot. "It's definitely headed our way." He added. 

"Take us to Starburst then!" Yelled D'Argo, landing one of his fists on a nearby console.

"We can't leave Aeryn and Crichton behind!" argued Chiana, who felt guilty for leaving them behind in the first place. 

"We'll search for them after we've brought ourselves into safety." Replied D'Argo. "Pilot! Why haven't we entered Starburst yet?" He asked, pounding on the nearest console for emphasis. 

Pilot's image re-appeared in the viewer. "Moya is unable to Starburst at this time. The minerals in the moon are the problem; they are affecting the scanners of the Peacekeepers and ours to some degree. It is also interrupting with the Starburst process. We could explode if we were to try a full Starburst!" He explained.

"We understand, Pilot. Tell Moya that it is not her fault." Said Zhaan, her expression calm, a complete opposite of D'Argo's anger. 

"I have told her, Moya thanks you for understanding." Pilot answered. "The Marauder has reached us and is preparing to board." He announced. 

Quickly, Zhaan, D'Argo and Chiana (Rygel had gone to eat a few arns ago) rushed towards the docking bay, retrieving a few pulse rifles underway. As they reached the closed doors leading to the docking bay, they took up defensive positions and waited until, finally, the door began to slide open and they could hear the sound of rushing footsteps coming closer. 

********

Unbeknownst of the events happening onboard Moya, John and Aeryn sauntered over to the center of the large cavern with the rest of a large group of rebels forming the secondary attack squad, which was mostly filled with Prowler Pilots. The rest would stay behind and keep watch of the caves. 

Saran stood already waiting for them and handed them their weapons: one pulse pistol and a pulse rifle each. She also handed them a few cartridges of chakran oil. In the meantime, another officer, unknown to John and Aeryn, had started a briefing, highlighting the various entrances to the compound and their points of attack. 

"When the attack begins, stay near me. I'll lead you to your Prowler." Said Saran when the briefing had ended and the group was starting to scatter towards tunnels. They followed Saran, who led them towards the tunnel leading to the outside, where the group was now starting to gather, waiting for the signal to march. Once a small group that had been following john and Aeryn had left the tunnel, they set out towards the Prowler base, lying near the city they had escaped from yesterday. 

John looked up towards the sky, which was surprisingly clear. 

"It's a good day to fight." Saran spoke up. "The fact that it isn't raining anymore and the skies are clear again are positive signs." She explained. "It is one of the remains of the history of this planet, adapted to fit the needs of the soldiers. Personally, it has never held much meaning to me." Saran said. 

By now, they had entered the part of the woods where they had need for torches and several were lit, casting a reddish glow over and around them. 

"Where's Marras?" John asked, breaking the silence between the three of them after Sarans explanation. He had not seen the tall man during the briefing and from what Aeryn had told him, while they were tending to her injury, he would've expected Marras to join Saran today. 

"He left in the group before us. He isn't a Prowler pilot like most of us, but one of the Commandos. His entire team joined the rebels and they've helped with numerous prison breaks to free captured friends. We met when I was recruited to hunt the rebels in the very beginning, now nearly two and a halve cycles ago. In that time, the lower ranks hadn't heard about the rebels yet, now, they all know about them." She halted her story here, looking straight ahead, remembering. "I was angry at them for pulling me off of Prowler detail and Marras and I talked one night in a bar, somewhere in Casack, a large city in the west. When he made me see how badly the Peacekeepers treated other Sebaceans, I began to notice other things. Eventually, Marras helped me to join the rebel cause." She spoke, still staring ahead, before smiling. "He always was very protective of me, until he saw me beat Merc with my bare hands." Saran spoke, looking at Aeryn now. "The problem is, Merc likes strong, independent women. That I could beat him easily only made things worse. That is one of the reasons Marras shares his bed with me: Merc knows not to bother me or Marras could easily kill him." She said. 

"Will Merc bother me again?" Aeryn asked, looking at John. If Merc had known where she was going to last night, he might threaten John. 

"I don't think so. If he knows you belong with John now and John would make the impression that he could kill Merc, since Merc doesn't know about your history," she spoke, looking at John this time, "He would leave you alone. Also, since you're under Marras' protection too, we can be sure that Merc won't come near you." Saran explained. "I don't think we have anything to worry about, in a few arns, the two of you will be back on your ship."

After Saran had spoken, the conversation died out between them and the only sounds that could be heard, were the sounds of their breathing, their heavy footsteps and the murmur of voices coming from the tail of the group. 

*******

After they had walked for nearly an arn, the group of rebels could hear the sounds of fighting in the distance. Above them, they could see the smoke from the fires where the roof of leaves was thin enough to see through. 

"We're getting near the city. The first teams are already engaging the Peacekeepers." Saran said, "The Prowler base is west of the city, near the landing strips and the cargo bays." She explained. 

Soon, the group had cleared the forest and they could clearly see where the fights were taking place. Already, the sky was beginning to cloud with the smoke from fires lit in and around the city and somewhere to the left of them, a large hole was blasted in the old city walls, leading directly to the Prowler base. 

"Remember what I told you. Stay near me and don't try to be heroic. The mission is to get as many Prowlers as we can and to get them in the air as soon as possible. The commandos are moving the fight towards the eastern part of the city, but stay alert." Saran spoke, looking at the two of them, who were nodding in acknowledgement. "Good. Once we're in space, be careful of enemy Prowlers. The last thing we heard was that the Peacekeepers have at least three Command Carriers docked at the spaceport." She said before moving with the rest of the team towards the opening in the wall. 

********

While the rebels were fighting the Peacekeepers on the surface, the crew of Moya was defending the ship against the Peacekeeper intruders in one of Moya's corridors. Their resistance was having little effect on them, because slowly they were pushed back and the Peacekeepers were sending in more Marauders to take over the ship. 

Chiana waited until Zhaan and D'Argo had moved around the corner, before she took a few steps backwards, all the while shooting at the advancing soldiers, but not injuring one of them. As she turned the corner, expecting either Zhaan or D'Argo waiting behind her to cover her in case the Peacekeepers would chase her too quickly. She was surprised when she turned and came face-to-face with an angry-looking Peacekeeper commando. As she looked behind him, she saw three more of them, holding Zhaan and D'Argo under gunpoint. 

"What have we here?" asked the commando, lifting a pulse pistol. "Where are they?" 

"Wh-where are who?" Chiana asked in return. 

"The Peacekeepers! Where are they hiding?" the commando said sneering, "Where are those cowards?" 

"There are no Peacekeepers hiding on this Leviathan." Zhaan spoke from behind him, causing the Commando to turn and face her.

"Well, we'll see after my men have completed their search." He spoke, pushing the butt of his pulse rifle under Chiana's chin, tilting her head. He was about to speak again, when a commando coming from another corridor, interrupted him. 

"Sir!" he said when he was standing in front of his commanding officer. He took in a few gulps of air before continuing. "We've found no other Peacekeepers onboard this Leviathan, except for one Prowler. We did, however, found an Hynerian hiding in a ventilation shaft. He claims to be Dominar Rygel the sixteenth." The commando finished while he pulled Rygels Throne sled, with Rygel perched atop, in to view. 

The commando in charge took several seconds to study Rygel, before he brought his attention back to the waiting commando. "One Prowler, you said?" 

The commando nodded.

"There were no other signs of any Peacekeepers? Signs of their presence on this ship for the last few monens?" He asked. 

The commando shook his head. "No sir, we haven't found any other signs." 

His superior nodded. "Than, this Leviathan isn't part of one of those new experiments about controlling a Leviathan without a collar." He concluded. 

"Sir, if I may," the soldier started, "I think I know which ship this is. About a one and a half cycle ago, one Leviathan carrying a Luxan, a Delvian and an Hynerian escaped Peacekeeper custody. I don't know anything about a Nebari, but I think this is the same ship." 

"I think you may be right." His commanding officer said, looking from Rygel to D'Argo and Zhaan. "Is he right?" He asked them, pushing his pulse rifle up, resulting in tilting Chiana's head further back. 

"Yes, he is right. We did escape the Peacekeepers nearly one and a halve cycle ago, you yotz." Rygel spoke with venom in his voice. "And we're not planning to be ever taken captive again."

The Commando let loose a thundering laugh. "In case you haven't noticed, your Highness, we've already taken you captive again." The rest of the commandos started laughing as well, until their leader silenced them. "However, it wasn't escaped prisoners we were hunting, but those wretched Peacekeeper zanits. Hiding behind civilians when they're met with a greater force than their own." He said with a forlorn look on his face. Lost in his memories, he was silent for a few microts, before looking at the escaped prisoners again. 

"Let them go." He said to the commandos still holding their weapons aimed at Rygel and the others. He himself holstered his pulse pistol and let Chiana loose. Then, he turned and started to walk back towards the docking bay, where the Marauders were standing by. He stopped as suddenly as he had started to walk. "A piece of advice: leave before the arn has passed, before all hezmana will break loose." 

"Are you going to attack the Peacekeepers on the planet?" Zhaan asked, still not sure as to what this was about. 

"Although it is classified information to civilians; yes, we are attacking the planet in an arn." The commando said, his back turned to them. 

"Two of our friends are trapped on the planet, with no way of returning to Moya." This time, D'Argo spoke, stepping forward. "They are dressed as Peacekeepers." 

"Then, they might already be dead or imprisoned by the Peacekeepers themselves, as they trust no one at this time. Their only rescue would be the rebels living planet-side." The officer replied. 

"What can we do to help them?" D'Argo continued. 

"I will allow one, two at the most, of you to join us on the Command carrier, where you can ask the captain for help." He said. "After that, the rest of you should leave the shadow of the moon as fast as you can and seek cover behind us. There is an asteroid field a few thousand metras away; you could wait for our return there. There are a few Prowlers waiting there, as well as a few troop transports." The commando spoke.

"I will go." D'Argo said, taking a few steps, until he was standing next to the commando. Almost immediately, Chiana sprung forward. 

"Me too." She said, coming to stand next to D'Argo, ignoring the look he sent her way. 

"No. You will stay with Zhaan on Moya." D'Argo said, ready to push her back to Zhaan. 

"Ha! I hope you weren't thinking that I would set a foot onboard that Peacekeeper vessel." Rygel spoke up from his throne sled, which was slowly backing out of the corridor. 

"I wasn't. I'll handle this alone." D'Argo replied, his hand on Chiana's shoulder, trying to push her towards Zhaan. 

Chiana shook D'Argo's hand off. "No, I won't stay behind with Zhaan and Rygel, when it is my fault they are stuck down there. I'm not a coward anymore; a lot has changed this past cycle, D'Argo." She said. 

"I know you aren't, Chiana, but I would feel better knowing you are safe on Moya." D'Argo replied, reaching for her again. "In case the real Peacekeepers board Moya while I am away, we can count on you to help protect the ship." He explained and this time he was successful in pushing her back to Zhaan. 

Chiana nodded. "I can do that. Just make sure John and Aeryn come back alive." 

"It is time to go, the command carriers will start the assault in a quarter arn and we still have to get back to the ship." The commando spoke, already heading towards the waiting Marauder. D'Argo took one last look at Zhaan and Chiana, before turning and following the commando to the Marauder. 

TBC


	6. Chapter Six

A New Era, Part 6

A/N: Sorry it took this long to write this part, but with everything that has happened lately, I decided to wait a while. Most of the part was written this week. Please feed me reviews and let me know what you thought about this. 

A New Era, Part 6

Copyright 2001

Saran, John and Aeryn crouched down behind a large crate near the entrance to the Prowler bay. They could hear the chakran discharges coming from the east, where the commandos had drawn the Peacekeepers too, leaving the airstrips unprotected. Still, as Saran looked inside the hangar, she could she at least a dozen armed guards and nearly two dozen Prowler pilots waiting for their next orders. She drew back just in time as a Peacekeeper patrol passed by on inside the hangar. 

"What did you see?" Aeryn asked when the soldiers had passed by. 

"There are too many guards and those pilots are most likely carrying pulse pistols of their own. If one of them reaches the comms-system, reinforcements will be there within five microts." Saran reported. "We can't wait much longer; the Command Carriers are moving into position already." 

Saran looked up as three other rebels joined them behind the crate, squatting in a half circle around her. 

"We'll go in thirty microts, when the next patrol has passed us." She spoke, looking at the small group around her. "By that time, the Command Carriers will be in place, so we'll have to move quickly." Saran explained, while the rest nodded in response. 

John, who was hunched opposite of Saran, could vaguely see one of the other small groups, awaiting the signal to attack. Then, seeing Aeryn readying her pulse rifle, he followed her movements.

As they heard the heavy footsteps of Peacekeepers approaching, the group ducked further behind the crate. After they had seen the three patrolling Peacekeepers pass them and the doorway to the hangar, the group quickly rushed towards the entrance. 

Saran looked inside again, being the closest to the opening. Seeing that they could enter unseen, she nodded the go-ahead to the other group opposite of them. Stealthily, they rushed after the Peacekeeper patrol to silence them, while Sarans group could take out the other guards. Once they signaled the coast clear, the group followed their leader inside and spreading out, they searched for a new cover. 

While the rebels were busy shooting at the Peacekeepers and preventing the pilots from reaching their Prowlers, Aeryn was busy looking for a way to reach the nearest Prowler, without getting their heads blown off. Seeing a route, she glanced sideways, where John took down one of the advancing stormtroopers.

"Good aim." She remarked as she saw the soldier fall down.

"You taught me." He replied, never taking his eyes off the scene taking place in front of him. "Did you find yourself a Prowler?" 

Aeryn nodded. "Uhuh... found a clear path to it as well." She said, taking aim at an advancing Peacekeeper. 

When they saw the first few Prowlers take off, Aeryn nudged John in his side. "We have to go now." She said, preparing to sprint to her target. 

John nodded. "I'll be right behind you." He assured her, moving closer to Aeryn. "I'm glued to your ass." He remarked, as she was about to leave her cover. 

The remark was left unanswered by her as Aeryn started to run the short distance to the Prowler. When she was midway of the distance, John saw a flash of light streak by him from behind. Before he could warn her, he saw Aeryn being knocked into a heavy looking crate, hit by the unsuspected pulse blast. 

He rushed over to Aeryn, not seeing the danger creeping closer from all sides. Suddenly, he knocked into something on his path and was roughly shoved to the hard floor. For a moment, he was dazed and saw black spots in his vision. Shaking his head, he looked up. Merc was crouched beside him, holding a pulse rifle close to him. When he raised three fingers to his head; where he was sure a lump would be forming in a few minutes; he felt a small trickle of liquid making its way down. He looked at his fingers after touching the painful cut on his forehead; blood was covering them. 

"It'll heal." Merc spoke, observing the human. "Come with me, I'll bring you to a Prowler so you can get out of here. I'll draw the fire away from you." He said, getting up. He was stopped when John grabbed his arm. 

"Where's Aeryn? I saw her go down." John said, looking in the direction he had last seen her. 

"A member of my team saw her get shot by a pulse rifle blast; he brought her into safety." Merc answered, pointing at one of the nearest Prowlers, where two other rebels were squatting near an unmoving form. "I think you'll need to fly her to one of the Carriers for medical attention. She's unconscious." The rebel added. "But we must hurry, the Peacekeepers will be here soon and we won't be able to hold all of them at bay." 

Together, they moved closer to Aeryns position, with Merc stopping every few paces to exchange shots with a few remaining Peacekeepers. As John reached her, he sunk to his knees and felt for any sign of life. Relieved, he could feel the beat of her heart and he let out the breath he had been holding when he felt her breathing. 

"It's best you hurry to get her into a Prowler, sir. Once you're on the Carrier, the med-techs can take care of her." The young Sebacean sitting across of him said. 

John nodded in return and silently gathered her still form in his arms. Then, he walked the few remaining steps to the Prowler and setting her down inside; he turned back to retrieve his pulse rifle. However, the young Sebacean had already thought of the weapons and handed them to John.

"Good luck, Crichton." Merc spoke behind him, his weapon slung over his shoulder; confident the battle in the hangar had ended; at least for now. 

John only nodded again, his reply unspoken, but understood by the warrior. Then, he jumped in the pilot's seat and closed the canopy. As he flew out of the hangar, he could see the reinforcements of the Peacekeepers approaching in the distance. 

**********

D'Argo watched the forward viewscreen as the Rebel Command Carriers moved closer to the planet and their enemy. Once they were closer, he could see flickering star-like objects: the Prowlers that were escaping the planet and those engaging the Peacekeepers into battle.

"I hope our ships will reach them in time." Braerc, the captain of the Carrier, spoke as he came to stand next to D'Argo. "Otherwise, their courageous mission would've been in vain."

Hearing the Sebacean speak these words, D'Argo nodded. From the corner of his eyes, D'Argo observed the young man, who was turning towards him. Braerc was still a young man, and very well built. His dark eyes shone with life and intelligence, and D'Argo assumed that standing before him was no regular Peacekeeper. This was probably the very reason he had taken side with the rebels. 

"What do you think of our rebellion, Ka D'Argo?" The captain asked, naming the Luxan by his old rank. "Knowing your feelings towards the Peacekeepers, of course." He added. 

"The Peacekeepers were getting to much power over the universe and a threat to every species. I think someone needs to tell them they aren't wanted anymore." D'Argo spoke, looking out in space. "Therefor, I wish I could've gone down to the planet to personally show them." 

Braerc smiled, pleased with the response he had gotten to his question. As he opened his mouth to say something, a young Sebacean stopped by his side. 

"Captain, we're in range of their frag-cannons. The Peacekeepers are moving them in position." The rebel reported. "Our cannons are ready to fire." 

"Good." The captain nodded. "What is the status of the Prowlers?" 

"They're moving out of the vicinity of the Carriers, if we fire now, we can take some of the enemy's Prowlers with the blast." The man suggested. 

"Very well, fire at will." Braerc said, turning back to D'Argo. "Your friends will be alright, I assure you." 

D'Argo nodded and watched as the ship's frag-cannons fired their first round. The discharge could be heard all over the ship and D'Argo could feel the Carrier tremble a little. On screen, he could see one of the Command Carriers taking the brunt of the attack, with a part of its hull exploding. The fireball took a dozen Prowlers with it, lighting the darkness of space.

A few microts later, the Peacekeepers had their frag-cannons in position and the rebel Carrier could barely avoid the blast. It wasn't long before D'Argo heard the now familiar rumble of the cannons discharging and the tremor that followed it. Again, a number of Prowlers were hit by the blast, as well as another Carrier, this time damaging it less. By now, the other two Carriers had moved into range and began firing at the enemy, taking out the most damaged Carrier. This lead to such a bright explosion, that D'Argo had to shield his eyes against the light. 

When he could see again, space was filled with debris of the destroyed Command Carrier. 

From the moment the Carrier had exploded, everything seemed to move faster. One by one, the Peacekeeper Carriers were destroyed or badly damaged. As the last one limped away, taking with it many of the surviving Prowlers, the rebel crew cheered. 

"We've done it!" cried Braerc, a smile on his young face. Then, as realization dawned, the smile disappeared. "They'll know we're alive and will do anything to stop us. The Peacekeepers will hunt us down." He said, looking at the debris floating towards them. 

"You will succeed." D'Argo said, laying his hand on the rebel's shoulder. "With this victory, many of the Peacekeepers will know of the rebellion and join your cause." 

Braerc looked up and nodded. "Time will tell, my friend." He said, mimicking D'Argo's move by laying his hand on D'Argo's broad shoulder. 

"Captain, the Prowlers form the planet are returning to our Carrier." A lieutenant spoke from where he stood behind his console. 

*********

John had watched as a few well-aimed shots from a frag-cannon destroyed the large Command Carrier. He had seen how the ship had exploded, leaving nothing but debris and torn bodies, still burning from the explosion. 

His Prowler was following Saran to a safe position, drawing some of the Peacekeeper Prowlers with them. As they dealt with the Prowlers, the rebel Carriers fired upon the larger Peacekeeper vessels, destroying them effectively, leaving one behind crippled.

As John watched the Peacekeepers flee, Saran contacted him. 

"John, we can land the Prowlers on one of our Carriers. They said one of your crew is with them, waiting for your arrival." Saran spoke. "Follow me, I'll lead you to the landing area."

John nodded to himself and glanced backwards for a moment. Aeryn was still unconscious; he sped up his Prowler to reach the Command Carrier sooner. He followed Saran until the large ship was looming in front of him; the outer doors already opened. John felt the pull of the Carriers docking web leading him to a location to set down the Prowler. 

When he had landed the Prowler and he was lifting Aeryn into the arms of two awaiting rebel soldiers, he saw D'Argo approach him. 

"What happened?" The big Luxan asked as he halted at John's side. "You're injured." He stated, extending his hand to touch the cut on his head. 

Crichton pushed D'Argo's hand aside, taking a few steps in the direction the two soldiers carrying Aeryn had taken. 

"It's nothing." John replied. "Aeryn's worse." 

He turned around when he felt D'Argo touch his shoulder. 

"She'll be alright; they'll take good care of her." D'Argo said, looking up and over John's shoulder, causing Crichton to turn around. 

"Saran..." he greeted the approaching Sebacean. "This is D'Argo, he's from Moya." John spoke, introducing. 

"I know, my brother told me." Saran responded. 

"Your brother?" Asked D'Argo.

"Yes, Braerc is my brother and captain of this vessel." Saran replied. "He told me about D'Argo." She said, turning to Crichton. "You fought well." Saran spoke and noticing the gash on his forehead, she too lifted her hand to touch the wound. "I'll bring you to medlab, they'll need to take a look at this." She said. 

Crichton nodded and allowed her to lead him to wherever they had taken Aeryn, followed by D'Argo. 

He followed Saran into a large room; medlab, Crichton assumed; and spotted Aeryns silent form almost immediately. Two med-techs were hovering over her, examining her wounds and rousing her. Before the approaching med-tech could usher Crichton to a nearby examination table, he walked over to Aeryn and took her limp hand in his hands. The two med-techs silently took a few steps backwards and were met by Saran and D'Argo. 

As his thumb stroked her hand, Aeryns eyelids fluttered for a microt, before she opened her eyes and looked in his blue eyes. Crichton's face lit up with a smile and drew her to him, hugging her. 

"Crichton..." She said, pushing him away a little, "where are we?" 

"On a Command Carrier. You got shot and knocked unconscious. I piloted the Prowler up here." He answered. 

For a moment, Aeryn wanted to make a remark about his piloting skills, but when she saw the gash on his head, her hand involuntary moved to touch it softly and Crichton let her. 

"You're injured..." she whispered, wiping at the blood. 

"It's nothing, sunshine." He replied, kissing her fingers. "It'll heal." 

Aeryn smiled at him, but before she could say what she wanted to say, Saran joined Crichton at the bed. 

"She needs to rest now and the med-tech wants to examine your head wound." She said and after John nodded to her, she stepped back again and walked out of the room. She was replaced by a med-tech, who administered an sedative. Almost immediately, Aeryn closed her eyes again. Crichton placed a soft kiss on her forehead, before going with the med-tech to a nearby bed. 

To be continued... 

Don't forget to review after you've read this story. Thank you kindly.


	7. Chapter Seven - Epilogue

A New Era, Part 7

A/N: The last part is here, hope you like it and don't forget to tell me you final thoughts about this story.

Epilogue.

After they had said their good-byes to Marras, Saran and her brother, the crew of Moya had set course to a small commerce planet, deeper into the Uncharted Territories. Even if they were now in possession of maps to their homeworlds, courtesy of Saran and Braerc, heading out of the Uncharted Territories at this time would be too dangerous because of the revolution spreading to other Peacekeeper ruled planets. 

John entered Zhaans apothecary just as she was finishing the bandage on the wound Aeryn received two solar days ago while in the Peacekeeper dungeons. There was another fresh bandage on her muscled leg and a large bruise on her shoulder, where she had been knocked into a wooden crate by the impact of a pulse blast. He walked up to her after Zhaan had left them alone. 

"You'll be okay?" He said, breaking the silence that had hung between them ever since leaving the planet. 

She nodded and stood up, favoring her injured leg a little. She slowly limped to a support, leaning against it once she had reached it. 

"Zhaan says the infection will wear off in three solar days. I'll survive." Came her reply finally. "How long until we'll reach the commerce planet?" she asked, avoiding his gaze that had followed her during her short journey from the bed to the support beam she was leaning against. 

"Two solar days according to Pilot." John spoke, taking a few steps toward her. "Listen, about what happened on Xi'an..." 

Aeryn suddenly looked in his eyes. "What about it?" she asked, straightening up. 

John, who could hear the alarm bells go off in his head, took another step toward her, hoping she wouldn't flee if he asked further. "You said we would talk about it when we got back to Moya." He asked. Inside, he was happy that she had gone back with him to Moya. For a moment, when Saran asked if Aeryn would join the rebels, now that she had a chance to return to her own people, to a life she had known for the better part of her life, he had feared he would loose her forever. 

Silence hung between them again. Aeryn didn't move a muscle and stared at John for such a long time, that he considered asking again. Then, she took a few steps closer to him, a strange expression on her face. Once she was standing toe to toe with him, a smile broke out on her face. 

"What did it mean to you?" She asked softly, moving even closer to him, until her lips were brushing his. 

"Well," he started, smiling, "what did it mean to you?" He shot back. 

Aeryn started laughing softly. "Whatever you want it to mean." She replied. 

John chuckled. "Would you mean this?" He said, kissing her softly. As he looked at her again, she nodded, putting her arms around his neck. 

Her mouth now close to his ear, she whispered, "And more than that..." she left the sentence unfinished, returning the kiss. When he pushed her against the support beam, she moaned in his mouth. 

"John..." she said, ending the kiss before it went too far. They were in Zhaans apothecary after all, anyone could walk in. "Let's go to your quarters, shall we?" 

Smiling, he took her hands in his and supporting her, they walked in the direction of his quarters, with both their hearts pounding in their chests... 

Thank you for reading this story and don't forget to review before you leave.


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